


I always got you

by innsaei



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Blood, Gore, Major character death - Freeform, Other, gunfights, pain???, self indulgent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:00:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25205107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/innsaei/pseuds/innsaei
Summary: Atsumu and Osamu were always two until they were not.
Relationships: Miya Atsumu & Miya Osamu
Comments: 7
Kudos: 47





	I always got you

**Author's Note:**

> this is written in such haste but I had to get it out of my system. It's purely inspired by two songs and I penned it down to clear my head. I hope you like it. I really do.

The sleepy dense forest stirred as the helicopter stealthily made its landing, it’s subdued green paint merging in with the wild hues of the trees. A sandy cloud arose as the blades slowly came to a halt, the once-powerful vibrations now deadly silent. The enemy radar may have not picked up their descent but the birds had fallen silent and it wasn’t going to be long before a keen observer noticed the shift in the environment. Time mattered in seconds and they had to move fast before the forest gave their cover away.

Atsumu peered outside through the slit in his balaclavas and slowly exhaled, allowing his mind to focus. His hands automatically took off the name tag around his neck as he turned back to look at it one more time. Placing a soft kiss on his 8 cm rectangular piece of metal, he dropped it into the hands of his commander and smiled beneath the cloth knowing his eyes gave away the creases of a soft smile. Osamu instinctively grabbed the tag, his fingers deftly tracing Atsumu’s name before keeping it away along with his own tag. He raised his two fingers, gesturing the team to file in before he reached out and grabbed a collar pulling Atsumu in. He rested his palm at the back of his twin’s head, bringing their foreheads tclose. His grey eyes stared into Atsumu’s honey brown, probing for the first sign of nervousness. Like a copper penny glistening in the light of a powerful flame, they gleaned back at him without a trace of any wavering resolve. Anyone else would cower at the way those eyes shone but Osamu knew his twin like the lines across his palm and only he could see the flecks of unspoken fear. He grunted softly acknowledging his fears and bumped his shoulder lightly before looking away. Dwelling on emotions on a mission was dangerous and they both knew it very well.

Atsumu looked at his brother’s back frame for a second before quickly grabbing his M4 Carbine and adjusting the knife slung around his waist. He quickly joined the team which had huddled around the door and crouched as the door slowly slung open. Like a beast of prey, the delta force quietly slipped into the darkness of the forest and began their advance. Atsumu was covering the left flank, his eyes darting every now and then as they walked in muted silence communicating only in signs and eye contact. The adrenaline was flooding his system like it was on an intravenous drip and he smirked slightly as his senses took in the surrounding in astounding clarity. The creaking of twigs underneath their boots, a hoot from an owl somewhere above, the soft rustling of the trees. It felt almost too calm and he knew this was soon to be ripped apart. This was the calm before the storm and Atsumu relished in it in all its glory. They had reached the narrow path and he knew it would not be long before they broke into the open and in sight of enemy eyes. He found himself naturally joining the team in a single file and he watched his twin quietly lead. Osamu fitted the role of a commander so seamlessly and he couldn’t help but feel the small sense of pride that flared up in his chest.

They had been tied to each other since the first time Atsumu had turned in his crib and found himself squinting at a calm grey-eyed baby lying next to him. In glaring contrast, Atsumu had thrashed about, his puny arms flailing and flopping around. They were on the opposite ends of the spectrum yet their colours merged into one at times, wordlessly and effortlessly. All throughout kindergarten, middle school and high school, they had been inseparable dragging each other along to try out every possible new activity. They were each other’s safety pin, holding each other back when one got too provocative or condescending. They prided on protecting each other and yet fought over the title of the family favourite, fell sick together all the time almost on purpose and yet didn’t acknowledge each other for hours over the last piece of onigiri. Atsumu didn’t know what it was to exist without Osamu and always considered him a fragment of his own soul and body. The thought of their lives being separate or their paths diverging was his only nightmare and everyday Atsumu vehemently panicked over the idea of Osamu being done with him. 

Hence the one time Osamu went ahead without informing him and got himself enrolled through a recruiter for the armed forces, Atsumu felt such a deep sense of unprecedented fear and stayed awake the whole night waiting for morning to roll in. And by the time the Miya family sat down for lunch, both the twins were enrolled in military school. It was always going to be both of them.

When they had been deployed on the same team, everyone had been surprised. Legally they were allowed to apply for separation but none of them had bothered to. Their mother knew better than to ask for separate deployments so she never pushed the idea and had silently accepted that if anything were to happen to the unit, she would have not one but both her sons’ lives on the line. Initially, Osamu had been visibly surprised to hear about Atsumu coming to his team and had considered the idea of getting him changed. But that had lasted for two minutes before Atsumu had barged into his office loudly yelling without any honorifics. 

“Samu, don’t even try.” 

That brat had not even bothered to put on his uniform properly having run all the way from the quarters upon hearing the news. Atsumu had been unwavering even when his twin’s eyes had widened, the storm always raging in them. It was a long silence before Osamu had answered softly, deadly quiet in his office with miserable grey walls.

“ Tsumu, we better make it back every time then, intact.”

It had been much less of an order from his commander, more of a brother’s promise.

The whole platoon could swear as witnesses to the grin that remained etched on Atsumu’s face that day. He was ultimately punished by Osamu for improper conduct and disrespect to the uniform. But even the arduous lifting of trunks across the river was not able to dampen his spirit. He was getting to cover his twin’s back on the battlefield. They were going to be together. And that was all Atsumu ever wanted.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


They had reached the clearing now and Osamu raised a palm signaling the team to stop. The team spent a precise minute readjusting their weapons as their earpieces quietly came to life.

“No survivors. Take them all out. We will not spread out”

Osamu’s voice came through as he barked out the final orders crisply. There was only one entrance to the building where the militia had holed up and they had no choice but to charge headlong. They were counting on the surprise element and speed was the key factor considering they had to manage access inside before they would start receiving heavy gunfire. This was a little suicidal but this was considered almost the charm of the Delta Force. Walking straight into the jaws of death, they were men hardened in battles and counter-terrorism warfare who carried death in their shadows and had seen enough.

Atsumu removed the safety catch before tugging at his belt. Making a soft grunting sound, he tugged at his belt and almost stepped out when his earpiece cackled and a single line came in softly.

“Tsumu, see you on the other side.”

Coming to a screeching halt, he paused abruptly as his breath hitched, a pit forming in his stomach for a brief second before dissipating. It was always unnerving for Osamu to say that even though Atsumu had heard it so many times before. The other side could be anything and the endless possibilities sometimes terrified him. But he didn’t voice his thoughts and instead looked up and nodded.

_ See you soon. _

  
  
  
  


The first two of the team responsible for taking out the bunker guards rushed ahead and immediately Atsumu saw two figures fall silently behind the barbed wires as crimson stained the criss-cross copper wires. They rushed out knowing the retaliatory fire was about to start now that two of their men had fallen. They had pored over the details and outlines of the building for months, going through feeds from surveillance cameras and inside sources. Atsumu knew someone was watching them from the control room in the basement and so he merely raised his arm and fired a shot at the camera outside the compound. It was not enough and he knew he had to disable the power source of the building but for now, it would mask their entry. On his right, Osamu took down a sniper that had positioned himself above the right flank of the building. They were using silencers but they could not mask the sound of men screaming while falling to their deaths nor could they stop the flock of birds suddenly flying away, definitely alerting their enemy. Atsumu grimaced a little at how exposed they were when suddenly one of their teammates broke open the gate.

The building lights were out and in the setting twilight, as the last vestiges of the sun disappeared, the building looked desolate and almost empty. He could very distinctly hear the sound of droplets of water falling on the floor from a leaking tap in the corner. This didn’t feel right. There were supposed to be more than fifteen fully armed terrorists charging at them.

He looked at his side to see Osamu scanning around, the lines around his forehead scrunched up.  _ This was bad. _ He never looked that tense before. Atsumu turned to step forward when he felt an icy chill settle on his arms. In the friction of time, the quiet suddenly became icy drops onto already cold skin. He saw Osamu's eyes widen at the same time as he saw flashes go off from outside.

Suddenly twenty rifle shots broke through the silence, bullets and gunshots ricocheting off the peeling walls. Atsumu barely had time to duck when a bullet grazed past his ear and the angry fist like slug tore through the abdomen of his teammate next to him. It cleanly, precisely tore through his tissues, exiting from behind and impacting the wall. He watched in horror as blood splattered on his arm and droplets fell on his face. The dying screams ripped through his mate’s throat and crashed into his eardrums as he scrambled for cover, his legs moving on its own. Atsumu had seen people die before but had never lost one of his team. He felt a raging pain in his chest, tearing through his veins as he forced himself to fire back while ignoring the fallen man lying four inches away from him in his own pool of blood.

It was as if his mind had suddenly shut down as soon as he started firing. It felt mechanized in his head, firing accurate shots at places where he could spot heat signatures. The acrid smell of stale gunpowder filled his nostrils as his bullets tore through glass walls and ripped through chests of the men outside. They had been ambushed in a pincer movement and were highly outnumbered. But each one of them was designed to kill and Atsumu knew one of them could take 5 at once. The screams had no impact on him anymore, a rage somewhat accentuating his senses. From the corner of his eye, he saw his twin lying stomach down behind a steel box and firing continuously. He instinctively heaved a sigh of relief before reloading his gun. 

The exchange went on for what felt like hours, each bullet ripping into something, inanimate or animate, spilling tree saps or blood. Atsumu felt immune to the bullets wheezing past him, each wheezing sound assuring him that he would be alive. His hands moved automatically and tirelessly, claiming a life with almost one shot out of every three. He knew if he lived he would spend the night washing the invisible stains of blood off his hands.

  
  


And then almost as quickly as it went, the silence came back in full force suddenly blanketing the buildings and the forest. There was a heavy pause for a minute before their mate who was closest to the outside raised a clear signal. Atsumu shouldered his rifle before straightening up and immediately felt his knee buckle. Before he could crumple on the ground, a strong familiar arm caught him and pulled him up. Osamu stared down at him with a look that almost made him tear up. They really made it through hell once more albeit the dying feeling in his legs. He had been crouching for too long and his legs had numbed causing a painful spike with every step. He smiled a little before leaning heavily onto Osamu as they both walked outside.

The once green and grey ground outside was now strewn with unmoving corpses, lying between overgrown daisies and wild roses. There were boot marks stained with red imprinted on the loose soil and their faces were grey tinged, regardless of race, blue lips with blank stares. Atsumu searched in his heart for a tinge of regret and yet found none. These were cold-blooded murderers who profited from killing women and children. Yet watching them lying down like dolls on the grass, their limbs twisted in awkward angles with contorted faces made him almost nauseating. There would be no one coming to bury them and kiss them goodbye and Atsumu wondered if they would have thrown away their lives like they did if they knew their end would be so desolate and pitiful.

He looked up to see his teammates searching for IDs in the pockets of the dead men and checking for any survivors.

“Atsumu, are you feeling better?”

Osamu’s voice broke through his chain of thoughts,a soft tone of concern laced in his words.

Attempting a smile, he nodded and straightened himself up before turning to look at his twin.

“You know, Sumu,I-”

In the deafening sound of the silence, there was a distant hooting of a night owl and there was a sound that bounced off the tree trunks, snaked its way through overgrown bushes and finally wrapped around Osamu’s heart, the sound piercing through his chambers like thorns squeezing the life out of him. He fell forward,his knees hitting the ground and gathering a shower of small loose stones and dust. The way the world dimmed only Osamu would know because there was unbearable pain and then there wasn’t.

He shakily turned his head to catch sight of the arm of a dying man fall limp to the ground, the gun rolling off his hand and landing next to him, scarlet against the black. The last attempt. One single shot.

Osamu looked at his chest hoping to see his bulletproof vest working but he knew deep down that the pain was superficial. There were no stains on him, no ragged-edged hole in his chest. It was just the fracturing echo of his universe.

He numbly caught the weight that slumped in his arms and Osamu knew that the wetness on his hand is not from the tears rolling wordlessly down his cheeks. For tears are not sticky, tears don’t look like caramel over apple, albeit it’s brilliant red and not soft brown. It’s not the way Atsumu liked it.

Osamu cradled his brother who had just pushed him away seconds ago and saved him. He was now lying in his arms, his chest heaving violently as his lips opened gasping for air. There are no sounds coming from Osamu as the words died in his throat, the pain in his chest giving away to icy numbness. There was a jarring and brutal quiver running through his entire body, ripping his innards and making a noose around his neck.

He felt Atsumu’s hands weakly clutching his arm as he struggled to keep his eyes open. 

There was the hint of a small smile on his ashen face and he looked at Osamu with all the remaining lights in his life gathered in his pupils. 

“S-Samu-”, he choked, the blood trailing down from the corner of his lips gathering in Osamu’s palms that cradled his heavy head, “-I always got you, d-didn’t I?”

There is a violent fit of coughing, splattering blood all over Osamu but he couldn’t care. He feebly nodded, wiping Atsumu’s mouth with the back of his hand. He nodded again, this time more vigorously and he brought Atsumu’s forehead closer to his.

There are things he wanted to say, places he wanted to go with Atsumu. He wanted to race him down the street to their home, to hand him the medal of bravery, to fight with him over petty games and to sleep beside him on the grass that grew behind their house. There were so many things left and they had so many years. But Atsumu was here, in his arms, the light in his eyes dimming and the warmth of his body slowly going out.

Atsumu grabbed his arms more tightly as the pain became unbearably intense, the bullet hole in his chest slowly starting to hammer its way through his defense.

Osamu slowly lifted his twin’s head and with an ever so tender touch, he pushed aside the now damp hair away from Atsumu’s forehead imprinting the feeling of warmth that was still left.

“Tsumu-”, he whispered into the silence, cautiously like he would never hear himself say that name again, “ look up.”

Atsumu’s eyes roamed the expanse of the sky above them, his eyelids becoming heavier by the seconds. He fought against the sleep that threatened to drown him. He wanted to see, to hear Osamu’s voice, to know what his twin was going to say.

A swirl of pink and lilac had transfigured the sky long after the sun had set in the horizon and from a far corner, a dull khaki grey was approaching. But it was breathtaking in the moment which felt infinite.

Atsumu felt like he could stay like that. In his brother’s arms like he always did when they were kids when Osamu would read out a book to him since he always used to plead. It was a beautiful feeling and he felt the sleep settle in his chest. It was peaceful, the sky above and Osamu next to him.

“Samu”, he tugged weakly at his brother’s shirt before smiling softly, his eyes now slowly closing in, “say it. Please.”

Osamu didn’t cry then, the pain receding into the background for that brief moment. He simply smiled at the golden-brown eyes that were slowly closing and whispered ever so softly with a conviction that even the gods wouldn't dare counter.

“You were my trooper. The best of them all. Tsumu, my little trooper.”

The bullet lying next to them was golden, golden like the highlights Atsumu once got when they were 18. He loved that colour, like the buttercups that grew in the hills of their hometown glowing in the dawn. It was golden like the small lines that ran across his eyes. His eyes which would never open again.

If it weren’t for the scarlet that covered his chest, if it weren’t for the 11.60 mm hole in his chest and the icy cold that chilled Osamu’s arms, Atsumu looked asleep. Like every other day. Osamu slowly put his twin’s head on the ground, his right arm cushioning his neck and he slowly laid down by his side. Like he always did. The pain would come later in waves crushing his senses but for then, for that brief moment, he wanted to go to sleep next to Tsumu. By his side. A small hole in Atsumu’s chest, a gaping hole in his, one that would never be filled.

  
  
  
  
  


On an unmarked hill, they laid him to rest with a memorial stone engraved in his memory. There were carnations and red salvias around the stone, some withered some fresh. But there were always two flowers that stood out, placed every morning when they bloomed at the first rays of the sun.

_ Two buttercups. _

_ One for you. One for me. _

  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
